David Jones, artist and poet (1895-1974) begins his PREFACE TO THE ANATHEMATA :

'I have made a heap of all that I could find.' (1) So wrote Nennius, or whoever composed the introductory matter to Historia Brittonum. He speaks of an 'inward wound' which was caused by the fear that certain things dear to him 'should be like smoke dissipated'. Further, he says, 'not trusting my own learning, which is none at all, but partly from writings and monuments of the ancient inhabitants of Britain, partly from the annals of the Romans and the chronicles of the sacred fathers, Isidore, Hieronymous, Prosper, Eusebius and from the histories of the Scots and Saxons although our enemies . . . I have lispingly put together this . . . about past transactions, that [this material] might not be trodden under foot'. (2)

(1) The actual words are coacervavi omne quod inveni, and occur in Prologue 2 to the Historia.(2) Quoted from the translation of Prologue 1. See The Works of Gildas and Nennius, J.A.Giles, London 1841.

29 May 2015

Imperceptibly, the centre of the township moved south. The Hepburn Post Office, in use for just over 100 years, now stands a mile or more from the township of Hepburn Springs.

The above photo was taken in 1964, not long before the Post Office closed. For nearly 30 years, from 1869 to 1896, members of the Hill family were Postmasters from this building. Today the building survives; instead of a grocery store, or bootmaker's, it is now a B & B.

In 1908, at a time when tourism to the area was beginning to boom, a Receiving Office was established in Hepburn Springs.

Then, for over fifty years, from 1910 until Hepburn closed its doors in 1964, there were the twin post offices of Hepburn, and Hepburn Springs.

Originally post was picked up from the Police Camp at Hepburn then the Postal Service (in 1854) was in a building where Mooltan is now, it was soon relocated to Old Hepburn to what I believe was the building in your photo (above).

A new Hepburn Springs post office was established in a tiny timber building once on the East side of Main Rd and then moved next to the now General Store. Mr Perini later built the current post office as a newsagent - gift shop - post office.

- local historian Gary Lawrence

Post Office photos from National Archives

Last year, our Hepburn Springs staff photographer gave to QAGOMA a hoard of about 13,000 postal items received over 35 years from the artist Robert MacPherson. These were part of a correspondence between the two, sent and received through the Toowong (QLD 4066) and Hepburn Springs (VIC 3461) post offices.